Helicopter



N'dv. I3," 1924.

W. A. CLARK HELICOPTER Filed June. 6. 1923 Patented Nov. 18, 1924.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM ADAMS CLARK, OF SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA.-

namcorrna.

Application filed June 6,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM .1 Annie CLARK, residing at 1132 12th Street east, in the city of Saskatoon, Province of Saskatch- 6 ewan, and Dominion of Canada, a Britishsubject, have invented new and useful Improvements in Helicopters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in lifting and steering apparatus of helicopters which Fig. 1. is a side view,.Fig. 2 a front end view and Fig. 3 a lan of my helicopter and Fi 4 is a vertica section through one of the-ifting propellers and its casing like numerals refer to like parts in all the figures. The reference numeral -1 indicates the main frame of the machine which is substantially braced by wire braces 2. The frame is mounted on four ground wheels 3 and is provided with a suitable engine 4., All necessary controls are rovided for operating the two liftin propel? disposed in teir respective casings 7 and 8 and these casings are rigidly secured to V the main frame 1. The traction propeller 9 together with the lifting propellers are operated by the engine through means of the belting and gearings as hereafter described. A V shaped shield 10 is attached to the front casing 8 and extending forwardly for the purpose ofreducing the resistance of the air when travelling in a horizontal plane,

I The space 11 behind, it and the space 12 atthe rear of the machine may be utilized for no the storage of parachutes. The operators seat 13 is located in a manner whereby all control levers may be operated therefrom.

The engine dehvers' power at both ends of the crank shaft, the front end operating the propellers) by the belt 14 being trained over he pullies 15 one of which drives the hori zontal shaft 17 The other pulley is loosely mounted upon the shaft' and the belt is shifted from one pulle to the other by the control lever 16 throug the mediumof the ers 5 and 6 which are 1923. Serial No. 648,800.

belt band 15 and the rod 16' as shown. This shaft has a universal joint 18 at its front end connecting with the short propeller shaft carried in the bearing 19 which forms part of a four armed spider-20. This spider 20 is supported and held. from rotating by means of the springs 21-22 and is controlled by the spider 2fl srranged at the rear of the frame adjacent the operator, the two spiders being coupled by the rods 24 00 thereby movement of the propeller 9 may be accomplished so as to enable the machine to be'steere'd in an desired direction. The vertical lift propellers 5 and 6 are driven from the rear' end of the crank shaft of 05 the engine by means of the variable speed friction car 25 (controlled by lever 26') driving t e vertical shaft 27 and horizontal shaft 28 through bevel gears 29 and the lifting propellers'5 and 6 on the vertical shafts 3031 in opposite directions through the bevel gears 32-33.

Referring .to Figs. 3 and 4. The lifting propellers 5 and 6 revolve in casings 7 and 8 as already stated, and they consist ofthree 76 sets of four arms each spaced apart vertically and attached to one hub'34 keyed to the vertical shaft 30 or 31, the upper and lower sets of arms are disposed the same plane vertically while the middle arms are ar- 80 ranged midway therebetween. On these arms canvass or other suitable material is stretched spirally to form th e'liftin wings 36 as shown, the vertical spacing of t e arms and pitch of the propeller being determined according to its diameter. The arms are stayed to the hub or vertical shaft by the wire-braces 3 7 and 39 respectively attached at its ends to the vertical shaft 30 or 31. Braces 38 are secured to the upper and lower on arms near their extremities as shown. The casings 7 and 8 extend downwards below the propeller for the purpose. of retaining the air and thereby increasing the lifting power of the propellers but do not extend above their upper edge.

'- Having now fully described my invention I hereby declare that I do not claim the in-.

vention of a helicopter nor do I claim any particular formof traction propeller-as I am I from the adjacent casing and being adapted to reduce the resistance created by the machine when travelling in a horizontal plane.

Dated at the city of Saskatoon, in the 116 Province of Saskatchewan, this fifteenth day of May A. D. 1923.

WILLIAM ADAMS CLARK. Witnesses:

A. E. JELLIo'r'r, J. R,

W. E. ETHERIDGE. 

